Becoming a dentist: Is it worth it?

Many of the viewers here at DentalDAT are students who are thinking about becoming a dentist, just getting started on the path to becoming a dentist, applying to dental school,  or dental students. Throughout this entire process, where ever they might be, the question that is in the back of their minds remains "Is it worth it to become a dentist?".

Becoming a dentist is what I've wanted to do since I could remember. I never doubted my desire to become a dentist but throughout the process I did ask myself if it is worth the time and effort. I never was able to come up with a good answer. Many dentists that I spoke with "liked" their job and didn't regret their decision to become a dentist. I've occasionally come across a dentist who wished they would have chosen a different career but that was few and far between.

In all truthfulness the answer to this question is going to come down to your definition of "worth". Dentist graduating 20 years ago could come out of school with $60k of debt and get it paid down in a reasonable amount of time and begin saving. Now days you are looking at between $200k to $550k on top of your college loans. At a 7.1% interest rate this begins growing rapidly.  Payments ranging from about $1k to $3k+ a month can be daunting and overwhelming for some.

So what does "worth it" mean? To me "worth it" means being involved in a profession that has prestige and that allows for me to impact the lives of other. Every day I work with patients who gain functionality or increase esteem because of the dental work performed. Whether it is an esthetic case of anterior crowns, delivering a set of dentures or extracting a tooth that has been hurting. I am continually studying the art of dentistry so that the results my patients receive are high quality. Dentistry allows for me to be involved in a profession that encourages a lifetime of learning and continual practice to improve skills.

Despite the satisfaction resulting from patient care, "worth it" also means being able to provide a comfortable life style for my family. Financial rewards (AKA the paycheck) and of course time are both very important. Having only been out of school for just under a year this aspect will be something that continues to change througout my career. However, even at this very early stage my family lives comfortably. I am able to spend time with my wife and kids. I am able to treat them to experiences that take many households years to obtain. In addition, I am able to give to those in need without feeling like I am strapped for cash. Despite the large monthly loan payments I am happy with the financial rewards that my carear offers.

Is it "worth it" to become a dentist? My short answer is, absolutely. Is it without sacrifice or compromise? No. If you want to get rich quick this is not the profession for you. It is going to take at least 8 busy years and a lot of debt to get to the point of earning a paycheck. However, if you want a solid and relatively stable career this just might all be "worth it". 

Scholarship Opportunities for Dental Students

Image courtesy of Anankkml

Anyone applying to dental school knows it is going to be an expensive four years of school. Once someone is accepted to dental school and they realize that tuition is going to be $250,000+ the natural thing to do is to start looking for scholarships. When it comes to dental school there are not a lot of ways to get a scholarship. If you have done well in school and you are lucky the school you were accepted to may be willing to offer you a part tuition scholarship. However, this is few and far between. In addition, your school may offer small scholarships ($100 - $5,000) through local scholarship donors. This may cover some books for a semester but will not put much of a dent in your tuition. If you want your entire schooling tuition paid for you are probably going to need to look towards a government scholarship through the Army, Navy, Air-force, or other program. Below I listed  as many scholarship opportunities as I could find. If you are a pre-dental student it is best to be looking into these programs now as some of the applications require a lot of work and early submission.

1. Army HPSP Scholarship: The Army offers a 3 or 4 year full tuition scholarship for dental students. Along with a $20,000 signing bonus they also give you a $2,000 monthly stipend to live off of while attending school. If you receive the 4 year scholarship you will be required to pay the Army back by working for them for a minimum of 4 years. This is a great opportunity if you are attending one of the more expensive dental schools or if you are just interested in joining the Army.

2. Navy HPSP Scholarship: The scholarship for the Navy is going to be very similar to that of the Army. Each of these are great opportunities and it is going to come down to which branch you would prefer joining.

3. Air-Force HPSP Scholarship: Once again the Air Force scholarship is similar to the scholarships offered by the Army and the Navy. In general the Air Force scholarship is more competitive than that of the Army and Navy. This is probably due to the fact that they have less scholarships to offer and still have a large amount of applicants. In addition, to a monthly stipend and the year of year payback the Air Force offers an opportunity for an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) to each of the new dentists.

4. National Health Service Corps: Not interested in going into the armed forces in order to get a scholarship? The NHSC offers a very enticing scholarship program. Like the armed forces NHSC offers a year for year payback system. This means that if you receive a 2 year full tuition scholarship you will payback the scholarship by working at an NHSC approved site for 2 years. The benefit to this program is that you get to apply to a variety of jobs that are approved by NHSC and choose the location you want to work at. In general, these sites are in low income areas helping people with a lack of access to care.

5. Indian Health Service: Like all of the previous scholarships you have a one year for one year payback system. The IHS requires a minimum of a 2 year commitment from the students. The catch with this scholarship is that it is only "For qualified American Indian and Alaska Native students...". If you are either of these two then you are in luck and have an additional scholarship opportunity.

These are the five main scholarships offered for dental students. I will continue to add more as I come across them. If you have any that you know of please post them in the comments section. Good luck in landing that big money scholarship that you are looking for!

5 Reasons Why You Did Not Get Accepted To Dental School

Taken from quickpwn.com

I was recently contacted by a student asking if I had any tips for students who are applying to dental school for a second or even third time. Because I did not know the details of this students application, just like I don't know the details of your application, I came up with five general scenarios of why students do not get into dental school. It is important that you evaluate your situation so that you can make the weak areas of your application strong. Reapplying without evaluating and changing the weaknesses of your application will likely land you  many more rejections in the future.

Scenarios of Why an Applicant Might Be Rejected From Dental School. 

1. Low GPA- The average GPA for students matriculating into dental school is about 3.5. If ones GPA is 3.3 or below they may have difficulty receiving interviews. In this situation I would definitely focus on getting As in the upcoming semesters. If you are near graduation or have already graduated I would recommend checking into a post-baccalaureate program in order to raise your GPA. In addition, I would advise dropping any extracurricular activities that may be hindering you from receiving As in your courses, as those activities will do you no good if their GPA is too low. 

2. Low DAT- The average DAT score for students matriculating into dental school is about a 19AA. Students with an AA of less than a 18 will definitely have difficulty getting accepted into dental school. Also, if the student has any section below a 17 (with the exception of math which can be 16 or maybe even a 15 depending on the other scores) they may want to heavily consider the option of retaking the DAT. A low science score, reading score, or perceptual ability score is a red flag to the admissions. To give yourself the best shot at getting in plan on getting an academic average of 19 or higher with no sections below a 17. If you fit into this category remember to give yourself adequate time for preparation. Only reschedule your DAT when you know that you are prepared and can score achieve your desired scores. Use practice test software such as Crack DAT PAT, Top Score Pro, and DAT Achiever to judge whether you are ready or not for the exam. 

3. Did Not Apply to Enough Schools or Even to the Wrong Schools - There are two scenarios within this topic. The scenarios are as follows;

a) The student has good GPA and good DAT scores but did not apply to enough schools. For the sake of this example lets say that the student has a 3.7 GPA and a 19AA with a 20TS. This students statistics are very good but if they only applied to 3 or 4 schools they still may not gain acceptance to dental school. Keep in mind that there are 1,000-4,000 students applying to each school and there may only be 50-120 seats available. In addition, if this student only applied to schools such as UCLA, Harvard, University of Washington, or any school that is not out of state friendly, their chances of getting an interview invite is much less due to the competitiveness of these schools statistics. If I were in this students situation I would apply to 8-12 schools with 2-3 schools that may challenge my statistics and the remainder of the schools matching my statistics a little closer. If you are one of these students keep in mind that statistics are not everything. Evaluate your application to make sure you have a good personal statement, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation.

b) The student has slightly below average or average GPA and DAT score (3.4 GPA with a 18AA). This students statistics are slightly below average however, they definitely still have a chance at getting an acceptance as long as there are no major red flags on the DAT (scores below 17). However, a student with such statistics needs to apply to at least 15 schools. Yes, this may cost them money but it could save them a whole year and the application fees. In addition, this student should plan on applying at the beginning of the cycle (June 1) in order to give them the best chance at gaining an interview. If there are any red flags with the DAT score a retake is recommended before applying for a second or third time. As mentioned above, this applicant should evaluate their application to ensure they have a good personal statement, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation.

4. Interviewed but Not Accepted - For the most part, once a student gets an interview they are on an even playing field with the other applicants. The interview is for the schools to see who you are and to see if you are who you say you are on your application. Remember, if you have an interview this means they like the way you look on paper! Remember, even if you have a 23AA if you blow the interviews you may not get accepted to dental school. Tip: Practice being interviewed by attending mock interviews put on by a near by university, and have family members or friends ask you interview questions. This will allow you to polish your interviewing skills so that you can give clear confident answers during your interview.

5. Applying Too Late in the Cycle - Some students do not realize the importance of applying early. I personally did not take the DAT until late August which caused my application to be incomplete all the way up until mid-September. However, I was not planning on applying until the next year but decided to give it a shot anyways knowing that I may not get as many interviews or even an acceptance. That was a risk I was willing to take. There is definitely still a possibility of getting in if you apply late but chances are much smaller. I was told by about 4 to 5 schools that if I would have applied earlier I probably would have received an interview. As long as your DAT is done and it is done well then I would plan on completing the application on or as close to June 1st as possible. Tip: Copy the current application to a word document and fill it out during the spring. Make sure that you have professors/dentists that can have letters of recommendation completed by June 1st and then plan on spending the first few days after June 1st finishing the application and getting everything completed. 

As mentioned several times throughout this article, statistics are not the only thing that make or break an application to dental school. A well written personal statement, quality letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and a successful interview all play a role in whether you are will be accepted to dental school.

Dental Schools Ranked by GPA

It is very important that you take your grade point average (GPA) seriously. Most schools have a cutoff of a 2.75 GPA. When applying to dental school there are a few things that you have to realize when calculating your GPA.

1. If you get a C- or lower in any required course you must retake it in order for it to go towards the prerequisite requirements. 

2. If you retake a class for a higher grade both scores will count on your GPA. For instance, if you received a D grade and retook the class for an A grade, both the D and the A will go towards your overall GPA. Many colleges will not calculate your low grade into your GPA which will make your GPA look higher than it really is. 

3. When submitting your application schools will look at your GPA with the plus and minus sign (ex: A-, B+, B-, etc...). They will also look at your GPA with out the plus and minus signs which means that if you have an A- it will round up to an A or if you have a B- minus it will round up to a B. 

4. Schools will not only look at your overall GPA but they look at your science GPA. The science GPA is calculated only using science and math courses. This allows for the schools to see overall how strong you are in your science courses. 

5. Remember your GPA is very important! Many will say "schools don't want students with 4.0 GPAs because that means they are bookworms". This is true to some extent. If all you have is an excellent GPA but no other qualifications then your application may not be very strong BUT if you have an excellent GPA and very good extracurricular activities then you will a quality applicant with a very good chance of getting into dental school. 

Many students ask the question "is my GPA good enough?". My question to them is "good enough for what?". If you have a 3.3 GPA and you want to know if it is "good enough" for Harvard then my answer would be "no". However, if you have a 3.3 GPA and you want to know if it is "good enough" to get into dental school then my answer is "yes". Is a 3.3 GPA ideal? No, of course the higher the GPA the better but not everyone getting into dental school has a 3.9 GPA. 

Remember that the average student that matriculates into dental school each year has a 3.5 GPA. Each school has a slightly different average GPA. In order to make this easy on everyone I have posted the average GPA for each dental school starting with the highest and ending with the lowest. This should help you see where you fit in statistically when it comes to GPA.

GPA is not the only thing you should consider when applying to schools. You will also want to find schools that fit within the range of your DAT scores (check out "Dental Schools Ranked by DAT"). In addition, consider other factors such as your volunteering experiences, shadow experience, individual wants, family needs, and PRICE!

Dental School Rankings (Overall GPA)

1. Nebraska  3.83
2. Harvard 3.81
3. Iowa  3.74
4. Colorado Denver 3.73
5. Mississippi  3.71
6. Alabama 3.7
7. Stony Brook  3.7
8. Detroit Mercy  3.68
9. Minnesota  3.67
10. Southern Illinois  3.66
11. Pennsylvania 3.66
12. Pittsburgh 3.66
13. Ohio State 3.65
14. San Antonio  3.65
15. Oklahoma  3.64
16. Nova 3.63
17. Missouri - Kansas City  3.63
18. UCLA 3.62
19. Connecticut 3.62
20. Louisiana State  3.62
21. Creighton 3.62
22. Buffalo  3.61
23. Oregon  3.61
24. Houston  3.61
25. Illinois at Chicago  3.6
26. Case 3.6
27. Marquette 3.6
28. South Carolina  3.59
29. Indiana  3.58
30. Louisville  3.57
31. Tennessee  3.57
32. Georgia 3.56
33. New Jersey  3.56 
34. Washington 3.56
35. West Virginia 3.56
36. Kentucky  3.54
37. Puerto Rico  3.53
38. Michigan  3.52
39. Chapel Hill  3.52
40. UCSF 3.51
41. Florida  3.5
42. Maryland  3.5
43. Columbia 3.5
44. Baylor  3.5
45. Virginia Commonwealth  3.5
46. UNLV 3.49
47. Midwestern  3.48
48. UoP 3.46
49. Temple  3.46
50. Tufts 3.45
51. New York  3.45
52. Loma Linda  3.43
53. Arizona  3.37
54. Western U. 3.33
55. Boston University 3.3
56. USC 3.25
57. Meharry 3.16
58. Howard 3.15  

Dental School Rankings (Science GPA)

1. Nebraska  3.77
2. Stony Brook  3.7
3. Colorado Denver 3.67
4. Iowa  3.67
5. Harvard 3.66
6. Mississippi  3.65
7. Detroit Mercy  3.63
8. Minnesota  3.63
9. Pennsylvania 3.62
10. Missouri - Kansas City  3.61
11. San Antonio  3.61
12. Alabama 3.6
13. Southern Illinois  3.6
14. UCLA 3.59
15. Nova 3.59
16. Pittsburgh 3.58
17. Oklahoma  3.57
18. Louisiana State  3.56
19. Oregon  3.55
20. Connecticut 3.54
21. Ohio State 3.54
22. Houston  3.54
23. Case 3.53
24. Georgia 3.52
25. Indiana  3.52
26. Florida  3.5
27. Illinois at Chicago  3.5
28. New Jersey  3.5
29. Columbia 3.5
30. South Carolina  3.5
31. Tennessee  3.5
32. Marquette 3.5
33. Chapel Hill  3.49
34. Creighton 3.48
35. UCSF 3.47
36. Washington 3.47
37. Kentucky  3.46
38. West Virginia 3.46
39. Virginia Commonwealth  3.44
40. Baylor 3.43
41. Louisville  3.42
42. Michigan  3.41
43. Puerto Rico  3.41
44. Maryland  3.4
45. New York  3.4
46. Midwestern  3.39
47. UoP 3.38
48. Tufts 3.37
49. Temple  3.37
50. Loma Linda  3.35
51. UNLV 3.34 
52. Boston University  3.3
53. Arizona  3.26
54. Western U. 3.25
55. Buffalo  3.22
56. USC 3.2
57. Howard 3.2
58. Meharry 3.02  

*NOTE: The statistics that have been listed were taken from the "2010 ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools". 

Dental Schools Ranked by DAT Scores

Many students wonder what dental school suites them the best according to their DAT scores. This was I question that I definitely had when I was trying to decide which schools to apply to. Remember, the DAT is a very big portion of your application and should not be taken lightly. However, this does not mean that if you earned a 19 academic average (AA) that you cannot apply to a school that has a an average AA of 21. The statistics are just that, statistics! If a school accepts someone with an AA of 23 that means that they must have accepted several others with lower scores. 


When scores are reported they are seen in three general categories including Academic Average (all of your scores averaged together except perceptual ability scores), Total Science (average of the biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry sections), and Perceptual Ability. Each of these general categories along with each individual section must be taken into account when choosing schools to apply to. 


Some schools will put a high emphasis on the science sections while others may put more weight on reading comprehension or the perceptual ability section. 


Other factors that you will want to consider while choosing schools to apply to include but are not limited to overall GPA, science GPA, extra curricular activities, leadership experience, volunteer experiences, and shadowing. 


For your convenience, I listed the dental schools in order of highest Academic Average to lowest Academic Average. I also included a list of the schools ranked according to their perceptual ability scores. The statistics shown come from the "2010 ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools". 



Dental School Rankings (Academic Average)

1. Columbia 21.7 
2. UCLA 21 
3. Harvard 21 
4. Stony Brook  21 
5. Alabama 20 
6. UCSF 20 
7. UoP 20 
8. Connecticut 20 
9. New York  20 
10. Pennsylvania 20 
11. Minnesota  19.63 
12. Nova 19.58 
13. Maryland  19.5 
14. New Jersey  19.45 
15. Buffalo  19.42  
16. Pittsburgh 19.4
17. Washington 19.39 
18. Boston University  19.35
19. Temple  19.3
20. Houston  19.15
21. Louisiana State  19.1
22. Illinois at Chicago  19.1
23. UNLV 19.01
24. USC 19 
25. Colorado Denver 19
26. Florida  19
27. Iowa  19
28. Kentucky  19
29. Tufts 19
30. Detroit Mercy  19
31. Michigan  19
32. Chapel Hill  19
33. Case 19
34. Ohio State 19
35. Oklahoma  19
36. Baylor  19
37. San Antonio  19
38. Virginia Commonwealth  19
39. Indiana  19
40. Loma Linda  18.79
41. Oregon  18.71
42. Southern Illinois  18.6
43. Midwestern  18.5
44. Creighton 18.48
45. Missouri - Kansas City  18.02
46. Western U. 18
47. Georgia 18
48. Louisville  18
49. Mississippi  18
50. Nebraska  18
51. South Carolina  18
52. Tennessee  18
53. Marquette 18
54. Arizona  17.84
55. Howard 17.7
56. West Virginia 17
57. Puerto Rico  16
58. Meharry 16 

Dental School Rankings (Perceptual Ability)

1. UCLA 21 
2. UoP 21
3. Harvard 21
4. Stony Brook  21
5. Minnesota  20.74
6. UNLV 20.24
7. Loma Linda  20.15
8. Creighton 20.11
9. Washington 20.02
10. Buffalo  20.01
11. UCSF 20
12. Indiana  20
13. Detroit Mercy  20
14. Michigan  20
15. New York  20
16. Case 20
17. Ohio State 20
18. Pennsylvania 20
19. South Carolina  20
20. Virginia Commonwealth  20
21. Oregon  19.93
22. Temple  19.7
23. Pittsburgh 19.6
24. Maryland  19.3
25. Houston  19.25
26. Georgia 19.2
27. Boston University  19.15
28. Southern Illinois  19.1
29. Alabama 19
30. Midwestern  19
31. USC 19
32. Western U. 19
33. Colorado Denver 19
34. Connecticut 19
35. Florida  19
36. Illinois at Chicago  19
37. Iowa  19
38. Kentucky  19
39. Louisville  19
40. Tufts 19
41. Mississippi  19
42. Chapel Hill  19
43. Marquette 19
44. Oklahoma  18.98
45. Louisiana State  18.9
46. Nova 18.85
47. New Jersey  18.73
48. Arizona  18.34
49. Missouri - Kansas City  18
50. Tennessee  18 
51. Baylor  18
52. San Antonio  18
53. West Virginia 18
54. Howard 17.4
55. Nebraska  17
56. Puerto Rico  16
57. Meharry 16  

*NOTE: The statistics that have been listed were taken from the "2010 ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools".

Studying With Music

Many of us enjoy studying while listening to music. I do not want to say that their is a right or wrong type of music to listen to while studying but there is definitely a more effective music to listen to. Yes, I turn on my favorite tunes in the car or while at home relaxing. However, I usually (like most of you) use music to take my mind off of school, work, and the other cares of the world. Frankly, if I am going to be spending my time studying I want my focus to be on what I am studying not my music.

Generally, I only put my headphones on when I am not in a quiet study area. This includes my apartment (especially when my kids are running around), the library (when people are talking, eating, or making annoying repetitive sounds such as typing or tapping a pen), or any other public location. 

I have a few simple guidelines when it comes to choosing study music that I try to follow at all times. It does not matter how much studying I want to get done, if I listen to music without following these guidelines I will not get any studying done. Check them out:

1. No Lyrics: Music with lyrics distract from what you are studying. Often times one will fined themselves thinking more about the lyrics they are listening to instead of what they are studying!

2. Avoid Loud Music: Many of us like bands with jamming guitars and fast beating drums. The noise created by this music can be just as distracting as someone eating a bag of potato chips next to you in the library. It will often times break your focus and put you in an anxious mood. 

3.  Low Tempo: The tempo of the music can also play a big role in how one studies. I like to be relaxed (not sleeping!) while studying. Fast paced music sometimes interrupts ones ability to slow down and think deeply about what they are studying. Why do you think Hollister and all those other clothing companies play the fast beat music? Simple, if you feel like you are in a hurry you might make the rash decision of over paying for a shirt that you otherwise may not have purchased! May not make sense to you but it sure makes sense to me. Tricking myself into thinking I understand something is pretty easy when I am anxious or in a hurry. 

The guidelines are simple and have definitely helped me choose effective study music. Below is one of my study playlists. This list may not be for everyone but be creative and find music that HELPS you and does not hinder your studying. You are not limited to classical music by any means. There is plenty of suitable music that involves pianos, guitars, brass instruments, and whatever else you can think of.

Feel free to post songs that you like to study to in the comment section!

Interviews: How to tie a tie

Gentlemen, and possibly ladies. Some of you may be reading this article because you have an interview and you want to know how to make your tie look good. Others of you may be here because you have a significant other who is failing miserably at tying a tie and has an interview coming up soon. Whatever the reason may be, remember tying a tie takes practice and it takes even more practice to make it look good.

Whether you have a few weeks or a few months before your interview, start practicing now. Take a few minutes each week to practice tying your tie. This will not only help you get better at it but may help relieve a small portion of stress on the day of your interview.

there isn't much you need in order to start practicing tying your tie. The obvious item is the tie. Other additional items that may help is a collar shirt, a mirror, and a friend to tell you how it looks (feel free to e-mail me a picture and I will let you know what I think of your knot).

Time to get started. I was thinking of creating my own videos for this post, however, I remember a wonderful website called YouTube. It may be somewhat difficult to learn just from a video so I hunted down some diagrams that hopefully will be of some assistance to you.

There are a variety of ways to tie a tie. Just remember that not all ways are created equal. My personal favorite and the one that looks the best is the full Windsor. The full Windsor gives the tie a nice balanced look.  Other knots such as the Pratt knot makes the tie appear to be lopsided and uneven. Keep things like this in mind when choosing a knot for your tie.

Good Vs. Bad


Good



Bad

You are going to want to work the knot a little bit to get it more triangular looking like the ones in the above pictures.

Full Windsor

Like I said this is my favorite knot and looks the best. When it comes to rating this knot I would give it a 10/10. It doesn't get any better than this. This is going to be a bigger knot than half-Windsor or others so you may need the skinny end to be a little shorter. You will need to find out the right length for yourself and that is why it takes practice.

Picture



Diagram


Video

Keep in mind that these videos are teaching you how to tie the tie not how to make the knot look good. In fact, the completed product in both of these videos falls below the standard of looking good.





Half-Windsor


The half-Windsor is another nice knot. This may be good for a more causal outings or for someone who needs a little easier knot to tie. If done properly this can still look nice. This knot gets an 8.5/10 in my books.

Picture


Diagram

Video




 
Pratt (Shelby) Knot


I have never tied this knot but it seems to be a popular knot. From what I have seen of this know I would give it a slightly higher rating than the half-Windsor, 9/10. This is a good alternative to the full-Windsor, especially if you are looking for a smaller knot.

Picture





Diagram



Video






Hope these videos and instructions help you to get ready for your interview. Please ask any questions or suggestions in the comment box. Once again, if you want me to take a look at your knot send the photo my way and better yet if you want your knot posted to this page you can do the same!

Interview: Asking Questions

The interview is a very important step in the application process. Just think of it this way. If you are invited to an interview this means that you are good enough for their school, or at least on paper you are. The admissions committee wants to see if you are all that you say you are on paper. More than likely you wrote a good personal statement, presented yourself well through out the application, and not to mention your statistics were where they needed to be. However, the question remains; Can you present yourself well in person?

I have already written a few posts that may help you succeed at your interview. These include "Potential Interview Questions for Dental School", and "Dental School Interview: Dressing for the Occasion".

Another important aspect of the interview is asking questions. The admissions committee wants to see that you are genuinely interested in being admitted into the right dental school for you. They want to see that you have researched the school and have taken the time to figure out what is important for you to know about their school. With this said, it take time and effort to ask good solid questions. Trust me, you don't want to be the person caught with their pants around their ankle when the interviewer says "Why don't you go read our website and find out about our school?" or "Why don't you read the handout we just went over?". Now that could be embarrassing.

I created a summary outline of things to think about when asking questions.

• Avoid asking questions that can be found on the schools website. This means that you are going to need to go onto the schools website and read as much as you can before the interview. Find out about the schools curriculum, the mission statement, and whatever else you can find. 

• Don't ask questions that have been answered in the presentation. I suggest making a list of questions before the interview. These questions can include anything that is not located on the website. If you talked with a current student you can create questions based on your conversation. Have this list handy for the presentation and cross out any question that is answered. At this point you can create follow up questions to ask the presenter, the tour guide, or your interviewer. This will help you stay awake during the presentations and show that you are attentive to what is being said. 

• Ask questions that help you to know if the school is right for you! This is going to take even more effort on your part because you need to know what you want out of a dental school. You may want to know what types of aides that they provide for students in order to help them excel . 

Asking the right questions can be difficult. You do not want to ask questions just to ask questions. However, when you do ask questions you want it to be well thought out. Questions that require the person on the other end (interviewer or presenter) to repeatedly say that they don't understand what you are trying to ask them, is not a good way of leaving a good impression on them. 

Below I have come up with a list of possible questions that you may want to ask during your interview. For some schools these questions may be totally appropriate while other schools may provide the information on their website or during the presentation. 

1. What types of thing does the school do in order to keep students involved in community service?
2. When does clinical experience begin? How soon is patient contact?
3. What types of clinical experience will I have as a first year dental student?
4. When do students generally take boards? 
5. Is there time set aside for students to study for the boards?
6. How do students get patients for clinic? 
7. Does the school schedule patients for you or are the students responsible for finding and scheduling their own patients?
8. One of the goals of Specific Dental School is to attract qualified professors. What does the school do to get the professors they do and how will they continue to draw such professors to the schools?
9. As a professor/faculty member what aspects of this school made you want to teach/work here? If there is something you would change about the school what would it be?

There are a lot more questions that you can ask. These are examples, and by no means are they perfect examples, but they are here to try and get you to think outside the box. Feel free to comment and add any questions that you have come up with.

*I will be adding more as time permits!

Potential Interview Questions for Dental School

Whether you have one interview or seven interviews it is important to be prepared for each one. Each school has slightly different interviewing styles and favors certain types of questions, whether that be ethical, critical thinking, or "get to know you" questions. While preparing for your interviews take the time to go to the schools website and read the information given about the school. You do not want to be "caught with your pants down" when you ask a question to one of the faculty and they say "why don't you go read our website?". In the same instance one of your interviewers may ask a question that is easily answerable if you do a little research about the school. If for nothing else, being prepared will put your mind at ease and make the interview that much less stressful!

There are a few things that you need to be able to do well at the interview in order to be successful. Some of these include, but are not limited to:

• Present yourself with professional appearance
• Be courteous/professional 
• Be on time
• Use please and thank you
• Use correct title (Mr., Mrs., Ms, Dr. etc...) 
• Avoid yawning/sleeping during presentations
• Avoid removing yourself from a presentation (unless medical emergency). Time is generally given for bathroom breaks or go before you get there!
• Do not interrupt others while they are speaking  
• The list goes on...
• Ask genuine questions ("Interview: Asking Questions")
•  Don't ask questions that have been answered in the presentations
• Create a list of questions before the interview and check them off as the presentations are given. 
• Avoid asking questions that can be found on the schools website
• Ask questions that help you to know if the school is right for you!
• Be prepared to answer questions
• Be aware of time when answering questions
• Give a 2-4 minute answer on detailed questions such as tell me about yourself or why this school? The interviewer will prompt you if they want more than what you have given them.
• 1 word or 1 sentence answer usually we be inadequate to answer questions effectively
• You do not have to answer immediately!
• Don't rush into answering a question immediately. 
• If you are not prepared for the question use a small amount of time to think and formulate a response (5-30 seconds should be plenty). 
• Practice answering questions
• Create a list of common questions and formulate answers to these questions (list is presented below)
• Be sure to practice answering the questions out loud! Find a spouse, sibling, friend, pet or mirror to practice answering the questions to. This will help you to answer the questions smoothly and with confidence
• There maybe some questions that you want to have "canned" or in other words memorized. However, practice answering these questions in a way that it does not appear to be a memorized answer. The interviewer wants to know that you are human!

If you can do the four things listed above you WILL have a successful interview! In order to further help you to prepare I have come up with a list of common interview questions. These questions should help get you started but I would also recommend trying to find questions that are asked at the specific school you will be interviewing at. 

Potential Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why should we choose you? What do you bring to the incoming class?
3. Why School that you are interviewing at ? 
4. What are your strengths/weaknesses?
5. Why are you interested in dentistry? Why are you a good fit for dentistry?
6. Are you a people person? How do I know?
7. Why did you choose to get a _Biology___ degree?
8. Tell me about your academic background and explain the gaps in your education. (Do not voluntarily talk about negative academic history during interview, only if they bring it up.)
9. How do you handle constructive criticism?
10. Talk about your shadowing/dental experiences.
11. Can you explain the leadership positions you listed?
12. What will you be doing in 5 or 10 years? Where do yo see yourself in 10 years?
13. What will you do if you do not get in this year?
14. Where does ____ fall in your dental decision (1st, 2nd, etc) and what do we need to do to entice you here over other schools?
15. Are you organized? How is your time management?
16. Why did you become interested in dentistry?
17. What makes you stand out from other candidates?
18. What do you see as some of the negative aspects of dentistry?
19. What can you tell us about the curriculum at this school?
20. What qualities make a good dentist?
21. Talk to us about __(manual dexterity activities listed on application)__.
22. How do you know you will succeed in dental school?
23. Would you consider yourself to be "good" with your hands?
24. Given that you have a wife and 2 kids do you think you can be successful in dental school?
25. What do you do in your spare time?
26. What activities do you do for fun?
27. Why did you change your career from ____ to dentistry?
28. If you are working in a group and some one is not doing their part, what do you do?
29. What did you not like about your shadowing experience?
30. Do you think that current technology is absolutely essential to practice effective dentistry?
31. What are some current issues that exist in dentistry today?
32. What is something you have done that shows you have compassion for others?
33. What are your study habits like? How do you study?
34. What is a cavity (or other things related to dentistry)?
35. What leadership positions have you held? What did you learn from that position?
36. If there is a weakness in your application what would you say it is?
37. What leadership qualities do you have? Please give an example.
38. What do you like best about dentistry?
39. Would you offer free dental work to someone who couldn't pay for it? 
40. What sets you apart from other dental school applicants?
41. How many other schools have you interviewed at and which one have you liked most?
42. How many schools did you apply to? Follow up: Why did you decide to apply to so many schools?
43. Why did you decide to apply so late in the cycle? (I was asked this question in one of my interviews. I applied early June but did not complete my DAT until August 28, thus making my application complete sometime early September. Let them know that I wanted to do well on the DAT the first time around so I took the time that I thought I would need)
44. Please explain any poor grades that you received. (Don't offer to talk about them unless they ask you.)
45. We see that you took a ceramics class. Tell us about it. 
46. What types of books do you enjoy reading? 
47. What was the last book that you read?

*** Questions in blue were added as of July 29th ***

These are just a handful of potential interview questions that I came across while preparing for my interviews. I will continue to add to the list as time permits. With that said, if you have additional questions that you came across on the Internet or in your interviews feel free to post them in the comments section and I will add them to the list!

By sharing additional questions everyone can be that much more prepared. Also, if you are struggling to come up with an answer feel free to voice the concern. It is not a great idea, nor ethical,  to copy someone else's answer but I will be able to give some ideas in order get you rolling!